Boston, MA|News|
MCAS Returning, But Changes Include Shortening The Exam
No schools will be newly named underperforming in the upcoming school year, superintendents were told Tuesday.

No schools will be newly named underperforming in the upcoming school year, superintendents were told Tuesday.

Despite strong pushback, the MBTA is barreling ahead with significant service reductions early next year.
The Republican governor said he would not sign a bill that bans police from using facial recognition systems to solve crimes.
MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak announced Monday he would suggest deferring some critical decisions on the service cuts until February.
The device is connected to the ignition and prevents the vehicle from starting if it detects alcohol when an individual blows into a tube.
While vaccines could get here within a couple weeks, it will be months before members of the general public have access to immunizations.
The number of students recorded as exiting their districts for home-schooling this year is about nine times the 802 logged last year.
As people get tested amid the COVID-19 surge and ahead of Thanksgiving, some lines are seeing waits of up to five hours.
All weekend commuter rail service, 25 bus routes, ferry service, any rapid transit after midnight, and far more would be eliminated.
The case has been described as the first of its kind nationwide. The virus has been linked to at least 76 deaths with the coronavirus.
Here's a look at what's at stake across the state this election.
Officials said even high-risk communities should be learning in-person unless there is evidence of transmission in the schools.
One leading expert said the rising caseload could forecast a wave of transmission in older adults.
Health care workers are poised "to carry a huge brunt and a huge burden" in the weeks ahead, a Health Policy Commission member said Tuesday.
The $45.5 billion budget proposal is more than the governor pitched in January before the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the state's economy.
The trend could indicate that the recent improvement in the state's unemployment might be "not as rosy as it might seem."
Secretary of State William Galvin said that more than 1.6 million registered voters have already requested mail-in ballots.
The state education commissioner is now asking 16 districts to lay out plans for when they will bring students back into the classrooms.
While wary about the health implications of a physical return to the classroom, parents and students have concerns about remote learning.
One expert said Massachusetts is already "one step ahead" when it comes to disseminating a potential COVID-19 vaccine.